Bharti Singh-Haarsh Limbachiyaa's arrest in drug case to Ramayan's rerun breaking viewership records, TV's newsmakers of 2020

2020 has been a year of shocks, controversies and tragedies. The year has not been a pleasant one for many and like common people, even celebrities saw a lot of ups and downs in their life. While the year took many things from people, it had gifts to offer a few. From Bharti Singh and Haarsh Limbachiyaa's arrest in drug case to tragic suicides of some of the popular celebs', 2020 witnessed many heart-wrenching moments. While the audience enjoyed the era of nostalgia through the return of cult shows like Ramayan, Mahabharat, Shaktimaan during the lockdown, the audience also had to bid adieu to their favourite ones. All in 2020. Here we list down a few TV newsmakers of 2020.

The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) conducted a raid at comedian Bharti Singh's house on November 21 in connection with the drug probe being carried out after Sushant Singh Rajput's death in June. The team had found '86.5 grams of ganja'. The couple was later taken for interrogation where they admitted to the consumption of ganja. Bharti and Harsh were arrested under the provisions of the NDPS Act in a case of alleged possession and consumption of Ganja. Later, they were released on bail.

Bigg Boss 6 fame Sana Khan shocked fans and industry when she announced the news of quitting the showbiz industry. She announced on social media with a long post. She wrote, “I declare today that from today onwards, I have resolved to say goodbye to my showbiz lifestyle forever and serve humanity and follow the orders of my Creator. All brothers and sisters are requested to pray for me to Allah to accept my repentance and grant me the true ability to live in accordance with my determination of spending my life following the commandments of my Creator and in the service of humanity, and grant me perseverance in to. Finally, all brothers and sisters are requested to not consult me with regards to any Showbiz work henceforth.” That's not all in November the actress secretly tied the knot with Anas Sayied. The former Bigg Boss contestant announced her wedding with Gujarat-based Anas on November 20. The low-key nuptials were held in Surat.

Due to lockdown several TV actors went job less and opened up about facing financial crisis. TV celebs like Ashiesh Roy, Rajesh Kareer, Nupur Alankar, Zaan Khan, Satish Kaul and Balika Vadhu director Ram Vriksha Gaur shared on their social media accounts about their problems to seek financial help.

In 2020, we lost many popular TV faces. Actors like Sushant Singh Rajput, Sameer Sharma, Preksha Mehta and Manmeet Singh ended their life after battling depression. The back-to-back deaths left many shocked and disappointed.

The Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai actress Divya Bhatnagar lost her life to COVID-19 on December 7. Several co-stars of Divya remembered her and got emotional on her untimely death. Divya's close friend and co-star Devoleena Bhattacharjee took to her Instagram and posted a few videos accusing the latter’s husband Gagan Gabru of torturing her friend mentally and physically. Devoleena cried uncontrollably in one of the videos and sought justice for her late friend.

Shilpa Shinde, who was supposed to make a comeback on television with Sunil Grover led 'Gangs of Filmistan' (GOF), quit the show even before it could go on air. The actress levelled some serious charges against the producers of the comedy show which included overstretching work hours, exploiting the artists, not giving her script and flouting the new guidelines. She also stated that one of the reasons behind quitting the show was Sunil Grover as he overshadows everyone in the show and other actors get hardly to perform when he is around.

The Yeh Rishtey Hain Pyaar Ke actor surprised many when he announced his wedding with girlfriend Ruchikaa Kapoor. The couple settled for a court marriage due to the pandemic and plan to have a traditional wedding later in June next year. Shaheer's co-star and actress Supriya Pilagoankar also attended their wedding and blessed the couple.

Malvi Malhotra, was allegedly stabbed in the stomach by a producer, who had been stalking her for months. She was rushed to Kokilaben hospital. He stabbed her in the abdomen and both hands in the Versova area of Mumbai as she had refused his marriage proposal. An FIR was registered against the accused.

Hamari Bahu Silk actors went through a difficult time as they were not paid for their work despite working on the show for seven to nine months. After staying mum, the actors and technicians finally raised their voice against the producers of the show for non-payments of dues. From complaining about it to CINTAA to protesting against the producers outside the houses, the cast and crew did every bit to get their money back.

The re-run of Ramanand Sagar's Ramayan broke all records after it aired on television during the lockdown. It was highly enjoyed by families including the younger generation. The show was not only most watched but was also a part of regular trends on social media. Even its actors Dipika Chikhlia (Sita), Arun Govil (Ram) and Sunil Lahri (Lakshman) became viewers' favourites on social media. It even broke the world record for being the most viewed show on television.

Due to the lockdown imposed after COVID-19, the entire entertainment Industry came to a stand still and also suffered huge losses. Several big-budget shows which were launched with much pomp and fanfare, had to abruptly pull off-air during the lockdown. TV shows like Naagin 4, Nazar 2, Beyhadh 2 were taken off-air within a few months of it's launch.